Former Pullman workers reflect on park's impact 10 years later
Former Pullman workers celebrate 10 year anniversary of national park
Ray Quiroz, 86, and his brother Al Quiroz, 88—two of the last living Pullman Company employees still residing in the neighborhood—reflected on the park’s significance.
CHICAGO - Chicago’s only national park is celebrating a milestone this month.
The Pullman National Monument, designated by former President Barack Obama in 2014, has now been part of the National Park Service for 10 years.
What we know:
On Wednesday, Ray Quiroz, 86, and his brother Al Quiroz, 88—two of the last living Pullman Company employees still residing in the neighborhood—reflected on the park’s significance.
"I loved working at Pullman. I loved all the people I worked with," Ray said.
Al added, "We're the last ones to live in Pullman that worked in Pullman Standard."
The brothers have lived in Pullman their entire lives, growing up in what was once a company town for the Pullman Railroad Car Company. Both worked at the factory from 1959 until its closure in 1981.
Al still remembers learning from veteran workers.
"They taught me a lot of things, especially the old timers," he said.
When Obama signed the legislation turning the Pullman property over to the National Park Service, Al was invited to witness the moment. Since then, the park has helped drive more than $400 million in new development to the area.
"Now it’s a national landmark, and people are coming from all over the country to visit Pullman," Al said.
The Quiroz brothers also played a role in preserving Pullman’s history. Before the factory shut down, Al salvaged artifacts—including an electric train bell—from the trash.
"As a person who lived in Pullman, born and raised in Pullman, I said to myself, this is my history," he said.
What's next:
To mark the anniversary, the Historic Pullman Foundation has put up a billboard along the Kennedy Expressway at North Avenue, reminding Chicagoans of the national landmark in their own backyard.
"The thing we’re hoping to achieve is to heighten the awareness of a national park being in the City of Chicago and the significant stories associated with that national park," said Mike Shymanski of the Historic Pullman Foundation.
And if you visit the park, you just might run into Ray and Al.
"I got a lot of stories to tell you about Pullman," Al said with a laugh. "You give me a glass of wine and I’ll tell you the whole thing."